This is a critical economic and social issue for North America. Ars Technica gets into it and points out that the FCC endorsement of the federal broadband plan is a good first step. It moves into the crowded world of politics now along with healthcare, immigration and the rest. Busy times ahead.

“One key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan was that the government support a scheme to wire hundreds of thousands of “anchor institutions” with 1Gbps fiber. The move would mean that schools, libraries, colleges, and community centers in every town in the country could eventually have a fat pipe and a future-proof fiber connection.

Not only that: both the FCC and the plan’s backers envision the system being used to push faster broadband out into the surrounding community. The only question is how to pay for it all.”

Read this overview. Make sure your library association knows it has your support for political education. We can win this one.

Libraries as the equals of hospitals and schools (still behind research univeristies and institutions) in national policy is a great place to start. I like being community anchor institutions!

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About The Author

Stephen Abram is a librarian and principal with Lighthouse Consulting Inc., and executive director of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries. He blogs on library strategies for direction, marketing, technology and user alignment.